St Thomas More Catholic Church

The red-brick Victorian facade of St Thomas More isn't what you'd call London's most dramatic church, but step inside and there's genuine warmth to the place. It's a proper working parish church in Greater London, the sort of spot where you'll find locals at weekday services rather than tour groups queuing for tickets.

The interior has that calm, contemplative feeling you want from a Catholic church - nothing flashy, just solid craftsmanship and genuine devotion. If you're into ecclesiastical architecture, the details repay a slow look around. More importantly, if you need a moment's peace in London, this delivers it without pretension.

It's free to visit, though opening hours aren't widely advertised online, so ringing ahead makes sense. You'll spend twenty minutes here maximum unless you're seriously into Victorian church design, which is fine - not every attraction needs to eat up your whole afternoon.

This works best if you're staying at Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping nearby and fancy a gentle walk to something quiet and real rather than another major tourist draw. It's the sort of place that reminds you London still has neighbourhoods where life carries on undramatically. Worth the detour if you're in the area and keen on seeing how ordinary communities worship, but don't make a special journey for it.